If you lived in Lesotho instead of Burma, you would:

Health

see 36.2% more spent on your healthcare

Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.

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be 19.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Burma, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.3 years less

In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to be obese

In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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have 69.0% fewer doctors per person

Burma has 7.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.

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be 9.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 5.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.

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be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.

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make 26.9% less money

Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.

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Life

have 44.3% more children

In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Burma, approximately 185.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 71.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Burma, approximately 32.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Lesotho, on the other hand, 56.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 17.7% more likely to have internet access

In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.

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be 25.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 57% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 2.8 times more on healthcare

Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 11.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 55.7% less strain on fresh water

Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.

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find 86.8% less home broadband

Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 25.9% less CO2

Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 40.8% more likely to die from air pollution

In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Lesotho: At a glance

Lesotho is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 30,355 sq km. Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month.
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How big is Lesotho compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

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